Eudaimonia, too

You've identified a major problem we have in Australia as well.

If a kid is obsessed with sport, that's OK, but if they love maths/physics/chem their parents start to worry. It's interesting that the kids from Asian countries don't seem to suffer the same stigma, their parents push them towards subjects they know will lead to well paying, interesting jobs.

I've had to work hard to convince my daughter (who has loads of maths apptitude) that she's not a "nerd" if she does well. Part of the problem is the media (again), every second TV show is set in a newspaper office, every second character is a writer or reporter and just about every science/engineering type shown is a socially inept loser (this may be accurate).

I tell kids that "Nerd" is the word stupid people use to make fun of smart people. ffeJ

• Why are nerds almost exclusively an American phenomenon? (I'm not so sure that it is, but America may be the most glaring example.) The above is a nice example of the belief that the USA is the centre of the world...D'uh Guys.. it isn't and by the way the sun doesn't orbit anound the earth. Maybe it's a Western phenomenon? It's more about peer pressure, the desire to conform, sterotypes reinforced by nonstop ruthless advertising..I could go on, but I just can't be bothered, well I don't wanna look like a nerd innit? Del

I want to complain some also. Its the technical people that are the originators and backbone of most human endeavors. Scientists and engineers (and other technical professionals) create and implement.

I do believe other fields contribute BUT mans creations that are complicated or difficult to produce came about because of technical prowess. In the world of business, the real creators and implementors are not recognized as THE engine that makes things work.

This perception is based on my perspective of working in one country during my career. I suspect other areas view things differently.

Great story, MillMatt. Fortunately, there are now some TV shows that make being a nerd cool. Check out "Mythbusters", "Smash Lab", or "How It's Made" sometime. Granted, purists will criticize these shows as dumbing-down science for the masses. Phooey! In our house, the kids are now watching this stuff (by choice) instead of cartoons. Even better, they've been prompted to ask larger questions about scientific principles.

Also, for a "long view" of this subject, check out Richard Hofstadter's Anti-Intellectualism in American Life. It's a classic.

There was a show on tv a while ago that made science fun to learn and funny to watch, it was called Bill Nye the science guy. The guy fit in to that typical "nerd" appearance", yet he was funny and seemed to really be in to teaching kids about the world of science. There is also a show on PBS that has kids doing little science experiments in the afternoon. I used to laugh at the nerdy brainiacs in high school, just didn't show any of them that I was a nerd as well 'cause I wasn't involved in school politics or the debate team or anything that they seemed to be into. I remember one of the kids in my junior high school (Stanley Martinez) was a feature on the show "real people" in the early 80's. His pops got him started in gold and for some reason that was "newsworthy" to the masses. Bring me the bmx track baby, or a wide open desert to go tearing around on...

At the risk of dating myself, when I was a kid there was a TV show called "Watch Mr. Wizard" with Don Herbert, who was a lot like Bill Nye, except he wasn't at all "nerdy", actually was good looking and well spoken. And, man could he do science! All manner of level-appropriate experiments. Now that was some quality programming!

I've had people with good science/engineering backgrounds actually tell me that the reason why professional athletes deserve multi-million dollar salaries is because they "sell so many tickets", and I reply "horsewash!" If ticket prices were deflated to what the entertainment value actually is, they'd be back down in the $50K/yr bracket again where they should be. The happy idiots in charge of advertising/selling are perfectly happy to fork over that kind of coin because their rates are also ridiculous. Meantime, physicists, chemists, the engineering disciplines, all of the people who actually make the creation of real things (instead of perceptions of things) possible scramble for research funding. Is there a solution? Maybe. Will it be soon, simple, or anything else short of damn hard? Doubtful. But there's hope, or places and discussions like this wouldn't exist. I hesitate to bring it up lest my words be misconstrued, since this IS an international forum, but sending our research and manufacturing capability overseas is not a wonderful idea.

The funny thing about the claim that nerds are an exclusively American phenomenon is that in Australia we are often lectured in the newspapers about the "brain drain" caused by young people heading off to America because of Australia's anti-intellectualism. America by contrast, we are told, places a high value on intellectual achievements.

However I think that context might be restored by that historian guy who pops up on public television every now and then. (What was his name again?) Anyway, he said said it best:

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words..."

(Oh that's right, it was Hesiod, 8th Century BC)

Fascinating. I don't know nearly enough about Australian history, but it's my understanding that yours is a "frontier" culture, too. And on the frontier, things that aren't practical or "manly" are dismissed as foolish, effete and effeminate.

Within American society, there are subcultures that place a high value on intellectual achievements. Often, they're composed of immigrants or first-generation Americans who want to "get ahead" and are willing to do things the hard way. On the whole, however, most American nerds still aren't considered to be "cool".